The moment the Seregios appeared, the Lunagaron spotted it. Its eyes were bloodshot and scarlet, emitting a blinding red light. They held only madness, no reason at all, just like the Frenzied Barioth Zhang had faced before.
"Roar!" the Lunagaron shrieked, charging towards the Seregios with an aura of cold air. Its speed was incredible, easily matching that of Zhang's Mizutsune in its Bubble State. The Lunagaron was a speed-based monster to begin with, but this was something else. This was the power of the Affliction.
The Seregios remained calm. It activated its Red Heat ability, and the temperature of its tail and the flames in its mouth began to rise. Then, it brought its tail to its mouth and began to grind it, using its Blade Grind skill. By the time the Lunagaron was upon it, the Seregios had finished sharpening its blade. Its tail now glowed like magma, a red-hot iron sword.
With the combined bonus of its ability, Red Heat, and Blade Grind, the Seregios now had a terrifying +250% bonus to its Attack, a +150% bonus to its Fire-type moves, and a +100% bonus to all its physical attacks.
"Roar!" The Lunagaron leaped into the air like a frog, its huge claws aimed at the Seregios's head.
Clang!
The Seregios turned, its massive tail drawing a red arc as it slashed at the Lunagaron. This was its strongest move, the Hot Blade. A Fire-type physical attack with 150 base power.
The Seregios's tail collided with the Lunagaron's claws, producing the sound of scraping metal.
BOOM!
The Lunagaron was sent flying, tumbling through the air before crashing to the ground. The Seregios only took a few steps back. In terms of pure strength, it had the clear advantage. If not for the Affliction boosting its defenses, the Lunagaron would have been killed instantly.
"Duh! Duh!" The Seregios did not pursue. It calmly brought its tail back to its mouth and began to grind it again. Blade Grind was powerful, but the blade's temperature dropped after each attack, requiring it to be re-honed.
The effect of the Affliction is similar to the Frenzy Virus, Zhang thought from atop his Astalos. The increase in attack and speed seems to be about the same. It seems consuming one's life force for power has its limits. A Great Izuchi can't leapfrog its way to a higher ecological tier. Neither the Frenzy Virus nor the Affliction can break that fundamental limit.
"Roar!" The Lunagaron stood up, its muscles bulging as its body contorted and grew. It transformed from a wolf into a towering werewolf, its special bipedal form. In this state, it was far more powerful and dangerous.
SWISH!
It pounced, its claws extended, its expression one of pure madness. The Seregios sidestepped the attack by a fraction of an inch. To Zhang, it was like watching a martial arts master toying with a crazed street thug. The thug was fast and wild, but no match for a true master.
"Hot Blade!"
The Seregios's massive tail swung out in a beautiful arc, slashing at the Lunagaron's two hind legs.
CLICK!
The sharp blade severed the Lunagaron's tail and both of its hind legs in one clean motion. Icy blood sprayed across the snow.
BANG!
The crippled Lunagaron crashed to the ground, skidding for a hundred meters before coming to a stop.
"After being Afflicted, the Lunagaron basically becomes a madman with no ability to think," Zhang mused. "Otherwise, the Seregios wouldn't have dodged that attack so easily. A normal Lunagaron, with its rich combat experience, would have used kite tactics, fighting from a distance with its superior speed. It would never have given the Seregios a chance to get in close. This just proves that calmness is the most important thing in battle. Madness will only drag you down."
"Incredible experience! The Seregios is amazing!" Kuro said with adoration. He had thought the Lunagaron's speed and strength were unmatched, yet the Seregios had defeated it with ease.
"The victory has been decided," Zhang nodded in agreement. In the future, I'll leave these crazed opponents to the Seregios. Its superb combat skills are the perfect counter.
"Duh! Duh!" The Seregios calmly began grinding its tail again, not even bothering to pursue the crippled Lunagaron.
"Roar!" The Lunagaron turned, dragging itself forward with its front paws like a zombie.
"Hot Blade!" The Seregios flicked its tail, slashing down on the Lunagaron's head. It used the flat of the blade, not the edge. It knew Zhang wanted to capture it alive.
BOOM!
The Lunagaron was knocked unconscious.
Your Seregios has fairly defeated the Lunagaron. You have gained 1 Glory Point.
Current Glory Point Balance: 9
"Awesome, Seregios!" Zhang said, jumping down from his Astalos and giving the monster a thumbs-up. "From now on, the madmen are all yours."
"Roar," the Seregios grunted, its head held steady.
Zhang threw a Poké Ball. After a few shakes, the Lunagaron was subdued.
Successfully subdued the Lunagaron!
Lunagaron beginning Pokémonization...
Because the Lunagaron has a Qurio parasite in its body, a special symbiosis has begun!
Symbiosis Successful!
Affliction has dissipated!
Pokémonization Successful!
Tip: When the Lunagaron reaches level 90 and has the strength of a second-tier god, it can overcome the Qurio, gaining a new evolution and becoming a Risen Lunagaron.
Lunagaron's (Qurio Symbiosis) information is as follows:
Lunagaron (Qurio Symbiosis)
Level: 69 (Elite Four)Attribute: Ice / FightingAbility: Breath of the Wind (All special attacks become physical attacks. Physical attack power +100%, Speed +200%.)Exclusive Skill: Qurio Blood Activation (When active, attributes change to Fighting/Ghost. Gains the ability to absorb life force, healing itself when damaging an enemy.)Passive Skill: Qurio Symbiosis (Defense -20, HP -10, Attack +30, Speed +30)Base Stats: HP 90, Atk 190, Def 70, SpA 10, SpD 90, Spe 200. Total: 650.
After the symbiosis, the Lunagaron has become more powerful, Zhang thought with satisfaction. Although it's not as strong as it was when Afflicted, at least it hasn't lost its mind. Trading IQ and vitality for power is not a desirable trade-off.
He released the Lunagaron and his Escuregot. The snail Pokémon's healing ability was far superior to that of the Monster Hunter world, and it was able to reattach and fully heal the Lunagaron's severed legs and tail.
"Next, the Gammoth."
Zhang took out his map, determined the Gammoth's location, and set off once again with Kuro on the Astalos.
"Master Zhang, you are really busy," Kuro sighed. He had just gone on a risky hunt in the evening, and now he was right back at it the next day. Most hunters would rest for half a month after a hunt like that.
"I need strength, so I can't rest. At least, not yet," Zhang replied softly.
"No wonder your growth rate is so fast, Meowster," Kuro said. "Not long ago, the rumors said you could only handle monsters like a Rathalos. Now you can take down a Seregios. I now believe that you can defeat Amatsu and help me get my revenge."
"Don't worry, Kuro. I will help you personally kill the Elder Dragon that murdered your parents," Zhang said, his tone serious.
"I believe you, Master Zhang!"
On a vast snowfield, a tall creature was walking, eating plants as it went. It was a Gammoth, white and blue with red patterns, 13 meters tall and 22 meters long, with a pair of massive grey tusks.
"Seregios, it's your turn," Zhang said, throwing the Poké Ball. The Gammoth was weak to Fire, and the Seregios was his strongest Fire-user.
Red Heat! Blade Grind! The Seregios immediately began preparing its tail.
"Whoosh!" the Gammoth roared, warning the Seregios not to approach. It was a herbivore and didn't want to fight. But the Seregios would not let it go.
BANG! BANG! The Seregios charged, its red-hot tail held ready.
"Whoo! Whoo!" The Gammoth realized it couldn't escape. It lowered its head, aimed its long tusks at the Seregios, and charged as well.
Just as the two behemoths were about to collide, the Seregios twisted its body and swung its tail. "Hot Blade!"
The massive blade cut a beautiful arc and slammed into the Gammoth's head.
BANG!
The Gammoth's thick exoskeleton shattered instantly. Flesh and bone exploded as red and white flew through the air. The Gammoth's strength was no match for the Afflicted Lunagaron's, and thus no match for the Seregios. Its headless body slid a few steps forward before collapsing.
Violent. I like it, Zhang thought.
Your Seregios has defeated the Gammoth. You have gained 1 Glory Point.
Glory Point Balance: 10
He immediately opened the system panel, found the store, and clicked "buy" on the Rider's Bondstone. A white stone with a burning pattern appeared in his hand. Finally!
"Seregios, come. Let's try out a Kinship Skill. X-Flame!"
Zhang raised the Bondstone high, and it glowed with a blinding white light. At the same time, bursts of white qi rose from the Seregios's body.
"Roar!" The Seregios leaped into the air, its huge tail slashing a massive, fiery "X" in the air. Zhang estimated the move's power was around 230, similar to a Z-Move.
Unexpected. In the real world, the Rider doesn't need to be on the monster's back to use a Kinship Skill. Good, very good. In a Pokémon battle, he couldn't jump on his monster's back to attack. If trainers could participate directly, Ash would have become a champion long ago.
"How do you feel?" he asked the Seregios.
"Roar," it replied, and through their telepathic link, Zhang understood. After using a Kinship Skill, you become tired and can't use another one for a short period of time. Understood.
He recalled the Seregios and began carving the Gammoth's corpse. It was too big to fit in his backpack, but fortunately, he had his Gengar. "Gengar, I need those 10 space backpacks," he said to his shadow. The Gengar emerged and produced the backpacks from the different dimension within its body. After loading all the meat, Zhang had Gengar store them away again.